Tribal Designs

The tribal tattoo is so named because it originated independently within many different tribes, or classes of people:


Polynesian Tribal Tattoos Polynesian culture produced many tattoo designs mainly represented using definitive, bold elements.


Hawaiian is a popular kind of tribal tattoo. It is usually dominated by a single color. This design often incorporates the symbols of a natural island, with abstract representations of stones and fishes.


Samoan is another tattoo design popularly used. It is usually based upon ancient designs and uses several abstracts that represent nature such as birds, fishes, waves and shells. Ingeniously, It also incorporates perspective of various lengths and sizes. Samoan man may have these designs covering that part of his body from his waist to his knees. Women also use these tattoos but normally in a more restrained manner than the men.


Maori tribes perceive tattoos as a sacred tradition. They represent the transformation from childhood to being an adolescent. Tattooing for a Maori is significant and influential. Indeed, if a Maori does not have any tribal tattoos on his skin he can be considered useless. It follows therefore that the more tattoos a Maori gets the more useful he is considered. This kind of tattoo is easily recognized in its known form of the face tattoo. There are of course other tattoos not intended just for the face. Maori tattoos are also abstract, are commonly inspired with spiral designs and can be very detailed.